Mass Effect: Real
by HotMezoti
Summary: Femshep and Garrus on SR2. Surprise! These two again. Lemony content. Jane gets tired of Garrus kidding around about her being his girlfriend, then things get real. All characters owned by Bioware.
1. Chapter 1

The crew was on shore leave on Omega. Shepard spotted most of them at one of the more popular bars Kasumi had recommended. She was motioning to Shepard excitedly.

"You made it!" she beamed.

Shepard smiled and gave her a hug, "Finally finished that last report."

Joker and Jack tried to offer her a drink.

"No thanks," she involuntarily scrunched up her nose. Since her Cerberus re-build she'd been adverse to most amino food, preferring dextro food. She scanned the room for Garrus and found him on the dance floor with Tali.

She frowned. She'd often wondered if there was something more going on between them, but couldn't quite decide if there was. It was hard to tell, with them being close friends. The two years she'd been in a coma, they had become closer. She regretted the time she'd missed out with Garrus.

Suddenly he saw her and walked over to her, "Hey, I'll get us drinks, ok?"

She nodded and Tali came up to her side, breathless. "Thanks for giving us the night off, Shepard. We definitely needed it."

"Yea, I think we should do it more often, actually."

Garrus brought her some Turian whisky and she took a sip.

He looked down at her, "How is it?"

"Mmm, very good, thanks."

He put his arm around her, "Let's go get some more." He walked her over to the bar, and they spent the better of the next hour drinking shots and talking about old war stories. Garrus liked to try to one-up her, and sometimes surprise her with a story she'd never heard before.

Kasumi appeared at their side, "Hey you guys, you need to get out and dance, the music is fantastic!"

Shepard shook her head vigorously, while Garrus stood up and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her towards him.

"My girlfriend does not want to dance."

Shepard rolled her eyes and Kasumi laughed and waved her hand at them in dismissal. Garrus often did that when he was drunk, or messing around, say she was his girlfriend as a joke. It started on the SR1 when they were in clubs to help Shepard out when she was getting hit on. Then he started doing it for a laugh.

She looked up at him and he smiled down at her, "Right?" and he laughed loudly.

She used to laugh with him, but after a while when he called her that, it irritated her. Lately it was starting to hurt. He didn't do it very often, but when he did, it hit her in the gut. She stood up and finished her drink, slamming the glass on the table.

"Fine. Let's go out on the dance floor."

Garrus was surprised, but readily took her hand and they made their way to where the crew was grouped together on the crowded dance floor. She did her best to imitate their dance moves, as uncoordinated as she was. The mash of sweaty bodies, the pulsating music, it was a great escape for the gravity of their mission and the tedious day to day.

Shepard checked her omni-tool and let the group know she needed to get back to the ship.

"No, stay!" Tali asked her.

"It's late, I've got to go." She smiled and pointed at the door, mouthing she was leaving. Garrus grabbed her arm.

"I'll go with you too. I don't want you walking around Omega by yourself."

She rolled her eyes, "You forget I'm a Spectre."

"These criminals don't give a shit. They travel in gangs. No, I'll go with you. I'm ready to go too."

They left the club and in the cool night air, they made their way back to the Normandy. Waiting for the docking doors to open, Garrus leaned his arm against the wall to steady himself.

"Well, sweetheart, that was a great night."

She let out a frustrated grunt, "Yea." The doors opened and she walked quickly ahead.

"Hey, wait a minute. I'll walk you to the elevator."

She turned to look behind her, "I'm safe on board the ship, Garrus," she said sharply as she walked around the CIC to the elevator and punched the button. Garrus came around the corner as she stood with her arms crossed.

"Whew, I think I definitely need to skip the mission tomorrow." He leaned back against the wall by the elevator.

She continued to stare at the doors, waiting for them to open. "Don't worry about it, I'll put it off to late afternoon, or skip it until the next day, no big deal."

"You're fantastic, Jane, you know that?" he leaned forward away from the wall and pulled her into a hug.

"Sure Garrus," she mumbled into his chest, keeping her arms stiff by her sides.

He let go and turned, keeping his arm around her shoulder as the doors opened. "You take it up first, beautiful."

She pushed against Garrus and got out of his embrace, "Stop saying that, Garrus," she said angrily.

He looked confused, "What?"

"All the 'girlfriend' stuff, quit it."

He stood in the doorway of the elevator holding it open as she stood inside, facing the back and refusing to turn to look at him.

"I – I'm sorry. I'm just kidding."

"I know." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, tense.

He continued to look at her back, surprised at her strong reaction. "I didn't mean to offend you, to insult you."

She turned around and pushed the button for her quarters as he walked back out of the elevator doorway.

"It's not like that." She said.

The look on her face was sobering. He shrugged his shoulders, "I was only joking."

She looked up at him, "I know, and that's the problem." She continued to push the button and finally the doors closed and she was in the elevator alone. She buried her face in her hands. She was frustrated that she had snapped like that, but she'd had enough. The opposite doors opened to her quarters and she walked out, putting the code in. She went to her bathroom and contemplated the scene with Garrus as she used the toilet. _Dammit. I guess there's nothing I can do now_ , she thought.

She hadn't said too much, and he was pretty drunk. They could talk it out later that day. She flushed and washed her hands, looking up at herself in the mirror. _If only he really did mean it, that he thought I was beautiful. He has no idea how much it stings when he talks like that. What a huge joke it would be if we were together._ She shook her head _. He probably is interested in Tali. He obviously doesn't see me that way._

She took off her casuals and went to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Early the next morning she was surprised to be woken up by her door opening. She squinted at Garrus as he stood on the steps of her quarters.

"Garrus?" she asked, sitting up in bed.

"Hey, sorry, I thought you'd already be up."

"Ugh, I forgot to set my omni-tool. What time is it?" she reached over and put her lights on.

"About 9."

"Oh, shit," she sat on the edge of her bed, leaning over looking at the floor. "So, what are you doing here so early?" She'd given him the code to her room before, but he'd only used it a few times.

He walked down the stairs and sat on her couch. "I wanted to apologize for last night, I upset you, I'm sorry."

She grimaced, he wasn't too drunk last night then to forget about it. She stood up and stretched. Putting her arms down she said, "Don't worry about it, Garrus."

"I did upset you, though, and that's never something I want to do. You're too good a friend to me. After two years without you, I never take a single day for granted. I won't ever let a problem go on between us." He rubbed his hands together, his elbows on his knees looking at her intently. She sat on the edge of her bed, his serious tone drawing her full attention.

She smiled, "I appreciate that. It's not a big thing, but thanks for coming and talking about it." She sighed and swung her feet slightly over the bed, looking down at them. She was regretting now saying anything about it. "It's just a joke that's worn a little thin, that's all."

Garrus nodded, "It won't happen again."

She nodded and smiled at him.

Garrus felt strangely reluctant to go. He'd said what he wanted to say, she'd responded well, as he had anticipated, they'd never let anything get between their strong friendship before. He should be getting up to leave. Instead he looked at her, studying her for the first time in a while.

Shepard let out a little chuckle, "Hope my morning hair isn't frightening you too much," she attempted to rake her fingers through it.

"No, not at all," he actually was getting a close look at the glowing orange lines her Cerberus implants made. He pointed, "The implants, do you feel them?"

She looked down at her arms, "No. Sometimes they need to be re-calibrated, and Dr. Chakwas takes care of that. They get a little warm when she does it, but that's all."

"How extensive are they?"

"Um, well they run pretty much up and down, and I think they branch out a bit, but you only see the main ones." She looked up at him, "That's what's keeping me together, I guess."

"Interesting." He stood up and sat next to her on the bed. "Can I see?"

She nodded as he picked up her arm and studied it carefully. He pressed lightly on one, then ran his fingertip down the length of it on her arm.

She drew in a sharp breath.

He looked at her quickly, "Did I hurt you?"

"No," she let out a little laugh, "It takes a lot more than that."

"I must have done something, your face," he looked at her critically.

"What?"

"It's getting red."

 _Fuck_ , she could feel the blush on her cheeks. His light touch on her arm had excited her.

She stood up, "Oh, no, it just does that sometimes. It has nothing to do with the implants." She put her hands on her hips and cleared her throat.

He stood up, afraid he'd insulted her again, "I keep saying the wrong thing,"

"No, no, I'm just. Well, I need to get a shower and start my day."

He nodded and looked down at her. He'd never seen her be so awkward with him before. It was confusing. "Okay, Jane. I'll leave you to it. Let me know if you need me on the mission today."

She brightened as she walked him to her door, "I will." She stood in her doorway as he walked across her foyer and pressed the button to the elevator. As it opened, he got in and turned, seeing her still standing, smiling at him. He was struck by her form, leaning against the frame, one foot up against her calf. He realized he'd never seen her so undressed before. In a loose tank top and shorts, the light behind her filtered through the cotton garments, letting him see her body underneath. Her hair curled lightly brushing on her shoulder. His eye drifted down to the sensual curve of her breast – he could just see the outline of the bottom curve of one as she leaned to her side. Suddenly the doors shut in front of him and he realized he'd been staring at her, entranced. He frowned and shook his head. He found his reaction to her disturbing.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Shepard went to her shower and got ready for the day's mission. She wanted to recruit the Justicar before she left Illium.

Later that night, Samara safely on board, Shepard ate in the mess hall, listening half-heartedly to Kasumi's account of Jacob's workout schedule.

"The best part is when he does abs, he takes his shirt off for that."

"So, he doesn't know you tap into the vidfeed?"

Kasumi shook her head, "No, I just cloak and watch him in person. It's much better that way."

"Jesus Christ, Kasumi, you're going to get caught."

She giggled, "Totally worth it," she shook her hand, "But I'm a master thief, remember? I never get caught."

Shepard shook her head, "Be careful." Then she thought a minute, "You know what? What if he knows you're there, but doesn't say anything about it? Like he likes you watching him. Did you ever think about that?"

Kasumi pursed her lips together, "Hmm. That's an interesting idea. Maybe."

Shepard took a drink and smiled. Garrus came up with Tali and they sat down at their table.

"Great mission today, Shepard," Tali said, "I never thought I'd ever see a Justicar take an oath like that. I was just telling Garrus about it."

"Mm-hm," Shepard said looking at the two of them critically. It was maddening, trying to figure out if they had romantic feelings for each other.

"Yes, sorry I missed it, but calibrations you know."

"Think you'll be done by tomorrow? I've got to help Grunt on Tuchanka. I could really use your help Garrus."

He nodded as he ate his meal, "I'll be done by later tonight." He looked around the mess, "Where's Samara? I introduced myself to her earlier."

Shepard glanced around the mess, "Don't know. She's got a lot on her mind, though. Likes to meditate a lot."

"Oh yea? That makes her perfect for Thane." He took another forkful of food.

"For Thane?" Shepard said quizzically.

"What do you mean?" Kasumi asked.

"Well," Garrus took a drink and swallowed his food, "He was getting too interested in Shepard. Samara should be a distraction for him." He looked around at the shocked faces. He cleared his throat and pointed at Shepard, "He's not right for her."

Shepard stared open-mouthed at Kasumi and then at Tali.

"Really, Garrus." Kasumi said with enthusiasm. "Tell us more."

"No, don't. But, you're way off, Thane has no interest in me." Shepard looked down at her plate.

"Oh, I always thought he did," Kasumi said then looked pointedly at Garrus, "But maybe he has a problem with it."

Garrus laughed and Shepard shook her head, "This is ridiculous," she stood up and took her plate, "You guys have too much time on your hands if you're trying to play matchmakers." She smiled and walked briskly to the kitchen.

Kasumi grinned at Garrus and Tali. Garrus looked a bit contrite, "I hope I didn't upset her, I've been doing that lately."

"She was just a bit embarrassed, that's all." She looked slyly at Garrus.

"Embarrassed?" Tali asked.

"Yea, didn't you see her blushing? Her face was completely red, up to her ears. That's why she got up from the table. It's no big deal, though. Maybe she does have feelings for Thane." Kasumi said.

Garrus held his hand out, "Wait a minute, what did you call it, blushing? When the face gets red?"

"Yea," Kasumi shrugged, "when you feel embarrassed or exposed emotionally. It's a human thing, you can't control it. Turians don't have anything like that?"

"Well, no, our mandibles flutter sometimes in situations like that." Garrus said.

"I never knew that," Tali said.

Shepard walked back to the table, "Don't forget – Tuchanka tomorrow Garrus."

He looked down at her small pink fingers that touched the table lightly by him. He flashed back to earlier in her quarters when he felt her smooth skin when he ran his finger down her arm. He looked up at her, remembering her turning red then, realizing she had been blushing, then reacting awkwardly to his comment on it.

"Garrus?" she said expectantly.

"Oh, yeah. Tomorrow, I'll be ready." He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Okay, good," she said a little suspiciously, but shook her head and walked around to the elevators.

Garrus watched her leave and turned his attention back to his plate. Kasumi was staring at him.

"What?" he asked.

She crossed her arms on the table and looked at him accusingly, "Your mandibles were fluttering."

He shook his head, "No they weren't."

Kasumi gave a knowing smile, then dropped the subject.


	3. Chapter 3

Later in his quarters, Garrus tried in vain to focus on finishing the gun calibrations. He kept picturing her in her doorway, feeling her skin, seeing her look down and blush when he talked to her. She'd done that before, he never realized what it was. Looking back, it made him wonder if Shepard might actually have some romantic feelings for him. And what about his feelings? He felt excitement and trepidation that he was actually turned on by her. It was ludicrous, right? He, a Turian, she a human and his Commander, his best friend. He gave up on the same computations he'd been working on the past half hour and sat down on his cot. He thought back to their time together, their friendship. He remembered her reaction when he almost died on Omega, how she'd stayed by his side in medbay as he recuperated. Moreover, he remembered Dr. Chakwas' reaction, looking sweetly at how Shepard doted on him. Was there something going on all this time that he never saw?

Her death two years ago had torn him up. Pushing his feelings aside, he'd only been able to deal with them by trying to emulate her in some way, try to incorporate her ambition, her leadership, her sense of justice into his own self, living for her. Finding out she was alive had been a miracle, no other word for it. Since then he'd felt more protective of her, closer to her. Even though he'd joked with her about being his girlfriend all this time, he never did that with anyone else. Was there something under the surface he'd never been brave enough to acknowledge before? Suddenly considering it for the first time, he tried to imagine them together romantically. Could they? He shrugged his shoulders involuntarily, other interspecies couples were out there. Why not them? She was everything and more he could possibly want in a bondmate. It struck him how obvious that was to him, once he stopped thinking about her as a human, and just thought about her for who she was. He shook his head, all this speculation could be for nothing if he was misinterpreting her actions.

Well, he wasn't a human after all. Trying to read human body language and facial expressions wasn't exactly his strong suit, especially regarding romantic intentions. He stood up and started pacing around his quarters. Maybe he should ask Tali. They were pretty good friends. Suddenly he stopped and remembered Shepard's comment about her the other day, 'You guys seem to be pretty close,' she'd asked, and hadn't looked happy about it. Was she jealous? Jealous of him and Tali? There was never anything but friendship between them, he thought of her as a little sister, but Shepard had mentioned more than once how they had 2 years of time together that she didn't have with him.

He needed to get an opinion. He didn't want to embarrass Shepard any further if he was completely off base. He couldn't go by Kasumi's opinions. She liked to spread gossip and poke fun at the crew. Garrus made his way to the cockpit.

Joker turned around, "Hey big guy, didn't think you'd be up here so late. What's up?"

Garrus sat on the arm of the opposite chair, "I need to get your opinion on something, on someone, more specifically."

Joker was intrigued by his discomfort. "Okay, shoot."

Garrus looked up at the ceiling. "I – oh, wait, can we talk in private?"

"Yea, sure, sure." Joker turned around and hit a few buttons, shutting EDI out of the cockpit. He grinned, "She doesn't know I know how to do that." He gave Garrus his full attention, sensing the seriousness of his demeanor. "Go ahead, what's bothering you?"

Garrus looked down, "Alright, this is strictly between us."

"Okay, you have my word."

Garrus looked up at him, "Do you think that Shepard is interested in me?"

"What?"

"You know, romantically, like a boyfriend."

"Uh, I know what you're asking, I'm just surprised. I didn't expect you to say that." Joker saw the pained look on his face and resisted the temptation to make a joke. "Well, I'm not sure, I've never really thought about it. I don't see why not, though. She likes you a lot, she takes you on practically every mission."

"Yea, but I don't know if I'm misreading her."

"Well, what are the signs you think she's giving you?"

Garrus told him what he'd been noticing, and as he talked, he realized how little it was. "I guess maybe I'm making a lot out of nothing."

"Not necessarily. More often than not, it's a feeling you get, a vibe. It's hard to put that in words." He looked at Garrus, touched by how he was struggling with his feelings for Shepard, trying to sort out how she felt. The sensitive side of Garrus was one Joker hadn't seen much before. It said a lot that he trusted him to come ask him for his opinion, and Joker wanted to help him.

"How do you feel about her?"

Garrus sighed and rubbed his forehead, "I'm not sure, I feel different suddenly. I, I feel like I want more from her, and that surprises me."

"Because she's human?"

"To be honest, yes."

"There are other Turian / human couples out there. It's not such a big deal anymore."

"I know. I've never been with a human before. I don't think she's been with a Turian before either. It's just – you know, you're best friends with someone, and then you start to see them differently, and it's like you can't go back. I don't know."

Joker nodded, "And you think she's feeling this way about you?"

"Yea, I kind of do. Oh – and another thing, she got mad at me for calling her my girlfriend last night. She was really pissed about it."

Joker frowned, "That doesn't make sense."

"Yea it does, you know I do that as a joke, and she told me to quit it, and when I told her I was only joking she said something weird, what was it?" Garrus struggled to remember what she said in the elevator last night, "She said 'I know it's a joke, and that's the problem.' She looked really hurt like she was going to cry."

Joker snapped his fingers, "Of course, like you were making fun of her feelings. That fits." He looked up at Garrus, "Look, the only way to know for sure is to talk to her about it, find a way to figure out how she feels."

"Can't you just ask her for me?" Garrus asked.

Joker shook his head vigorously, "Oh no, that's a bad idea. You've got to do this yourself."

Garrus was frustrated, "I don't know what to do, I don't want to ruin our friendship if I'm wrong."

"She cares about you, loves you, as a friend, maybe more, whatever. She's not going to be offended if you are honest with her. You have to figure out what you want first, though."

Garrus slowly nodded his head. "You're right. Thanks. I appreciate your insight and advice." He got up and patted him on the shoulder.

"Think it over. You'll know what to do. And I'm here if you need me. I'll be turning in soon, but we can talk more about it tomorrow if you want to."

Garrus nodded and left the cockpit, going back down to his quarters. He mulled it over some more, then looked up some information on the internet on human – Turian relationships. Feeling a bit more confident about it, he finally turned in.

"Garrus, you're not up yet?" Shepard was standing in his doorway this time, looking critically at him.

Garrus shot up out of bed and blearily looked at her as she put her hand on her hip, grinning at him.

"Spirits, Jane. I overslept."

She laughed, "No problem, we seem to be taking turns at that. We'll be arriving at Tuchanka in about 2 hours," she pointed at his console, "Those calibrations take more time last night?"

He rubbed his eyes and walked towards her, "No, it wasn't that. I was just up thinking."

"Oh," she said. She took a deep breath. He was standing very near her in his underwear only. Looked closely like human boxer shorts. She forced herself to keep her eyes on his face.

"You're doing it," Garrus said, a smile forming on the corner of his mouth.

"Doing what?"

"Blushing. I know what it is now," he pointed at her face, "when it gets red."

Trying to act casual, she crossed her arms, "I've never seen a Turian in his underwear before, that's all."

He took a step closer to her and lowered his voice, "Like what you see, Jane?"

Her eyes got wide and she felt her face get hotter, "Maybe."

He nodded, then backed up, "Well, I'd better get ready. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"Right." She turned and walked out of his quarters, stopping just outside of the door, stunned at the way the conversation had gone. He didn't seem like he was joking that time. She could feel the physical tension between them. She realized she was still standing outside his door, and collected herself, walking back down through the mess hall.

In his quarters, Garrus smiled to himself. Her reaction had pretty much told him that she was interested, at least enough to encourage him.


	4. Chapter 4

The mission on Tuchanka had been too intense for him to give too much more thought to the issue. Seeing Wrex again, fighting a Thresher maw, then ribbing Grunt on the shuttle ride back about puberty had distracted them both from the events of that morning.

Back on the Normandy, Grunt thanked them both again and left them both for his quarters. In the elevator, Garrus and Shepard chuckled about the mission.

"I'm glad Turian puberty isn't so violent," Garrus said, leaning against the elevator wall.

"Oh, I know. Figures Krogans' would be like that. I'm just glad we could help him out."

"Makes us like his surrogate parents then, huh?"

Shepard cracked a smile, "I guess so. Never thought I'd have a Krogan baby." They laughed as they piled out of the elevator by the mess hall.

"I'm going to get this armor off, then get something to eat," Garrus looked down at her.

She sighed, "Yea, a long hot shower is what I need. Then I think I'll just eat in my quarters. I've got to write up the mission report."

Garrus decided to take a chance, "How about we have dinner together, in your quarters. I could meet you up there later, if you'd like."

"Oh, I would like that. That's a great idea."

"I know I'm inviting myself over-"

"No, I'm glad, yes, I'd like that."

Garrus watched her stumble over her words, smiling broadly at him. He felt encouraged, "I'll get the food together and bring it up. What time?"

"How about 30, no – 45 minutes."

"Okay, I'll see you soon then." He reached down and squeezed her hand.

She nodded and walked to the elevator. Once inside her quarters, she stripped off her armor and underarmor quickly and ran in the shower, scrubbing the dust and dirt from Tuchanka down the drain. She thought about Garrus' sudden change towards her, hoping it wasn't him joking around again, or that she was misreading his signals. As she got dressed, she replayed their recent conversations, alternating between being convinced Garrus was interested in her and then convinced he was just a friend. Weary of second-guessing, she decided to keep an open mind and just enjoy spending the evening with him. She checked the time, she had 10 minutes left. She fluffed out her drying dark curls and grabbed her makeup bag, putting on a bit more than she usually did on missions. She looked at her reflection and took a deep breath. She heard a ping at the door, and called out, "Enter."

Garrus stood in her doorway in his casuals holding two boxes of food, "I figured you'd have drinks up here."

"Yea, come in." she took one of the boxes from him, "Mm, smells delicious, what is it?"

"It's Turian. I know you have developed a taste for Turian food, now that you have no dextro allergies. Last time we were on the Citadel getting supplies I ordered more rations, remember?"

"That's right." She walked down the stairs towards her couch and put the box on the table, making her way to her cabinet to get drinks.

He watched her as he sat down. His earlier attraction to her seemed to be no longer in doubt as he admired her beauty, her grace as she walked. The juxtaposition between her strength and fragility was enthralling. How had he missed that all these years? It must be that his feelings were there all along, he just needed to recognize it. She turned with a bottle of Turian whisky and stopped, smiling at him.

"What is it?" she asked, "You're looking at me funny."

"Oh, just thinking about how pretty you are."

She shook her head, "You don't have to say that Garrus."

He sat up a little straighter, "I mean it, Jane. I'm not joking around with you."

She put the glasses on the table and opened the bottle, "So you think I'm pretty, huh?"

"Yes, very."

She poured herself a drink and put the bottle back on the table for him. She studied him over the rim of her glass as he poured himself a drink. She wanted to believe him, but he was sounding like he used to when they were out at clubs. She didn't know what to believe.

He poured himself a drink and held up his glass, "A toast,"

She leaned forward and held up her drink to his, "To what?"

"To Cerberus."

She clinked his glass, "Cerberus?" she scrunched up her face.

He took a drink, "They brought you back, and for that I'm forever grateful."

"Ah, I agree with that." She sat back and took a drink. She opened the box of food and started eating. "This is really good. Thanks for coming up and bringing it."

"Of course. I wanted to spend some time with you, too."

"We haven't watched a vid up here in a while. You want to after we eat?" She dug into her meal, it tasted so much better than human food, she couldn't get over the change since her Cerberus re-build.

"No, not tonight." He didn't want the distraction of a vid.

She was disappointed, "Oh. I guess not then. I'm pretty tired after that Thresher maw too. Plus I have to write that report. Some other time."

They continued to eat and talk about the mission that day. Garrus cleaned up the plates and Shepard leaned back on her couch, continuing to sip on her whisky. It had been a nice night, she appreciated having him as a good friend, and focused on that. She smiled as he sat back down and picked up his glass.

"This is good, Jane. When did you get it?"

"Last time on the Citadel, I had to get Dr. Chakwas some Serrice ice brandy, so I looked around for some good Turian liquor while I was there."

"Good choice. You know, you'd make a great Turian."

"You think so? I don't know. I'm not a good one for following orders from my superiors."

Garrus smirked, "Well look at me. I helped you mutiny to take the Normandy to fight Saren, left Spectre training to become a vigilante. There's more to being a Turian than just being an obedient soldier."

"Oh?" she relaxed back into the couch, absently running her hand through her hair.

"There's loyalty, honor, courage."

"You're flattering me." She protested.

"It's not flattery if it's true."

"Then you are the best example of a Turian because you embody all that better than any other Turian I've ever met." She smiled at him.

He held up his glass, "To Turians."

"To Turians." She took another drink.

Garrus felt frozen. He wanted to broach the subject with her, but didn't know how. He held his glass in his hands and stared down at his drink.

"Pretty crazy how you can eat dextro food now."

"It's weird. I actually like it better. Something the Illusive man didn't do on purpose, I'm sure." She smirked.

"You are one of the few humans I've met who don't have at least some aversion to Turians, some residual prejudice."

"I know it's hard for you serving on a Cerberus ship. If any of the crew are giving you any problems, please tell me. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable in any way."

He shook his head, "No, no. Nothing like that. Well, nothing I can't handle anyway." He took another drink. "You ah, ever think of the possibility of being with a different species?" he quickly looked down and shut his eyes, _Well that was fucking subtle,_ he chided himself.

She gestured around the room, "We're surrounded by different species on the ship. I think the only one not represented is Vorcha. I think we're a great example of what can happen when differences are put aside. Especially unusual on a Cerberus-funded ship. We can-"

He stopped her, "I didn't mean that." He stood up and paced around. "Jane. I -," he let out a big sigh, "I'm sorry, I have no idea what I'm doing. I think I'd better go."

She stood up, alarmed. He was genuinely flustered. She walked over to him and put her hand on his chest, "What is it, Garrus? I don't want to see you upset. Have I upset you?"

He shook his head, "No, no. I'm just – I'm an idiot, that's all." He put down his glass and turned for the stairs. She let out a frustrated grunt and followed him to the door.

"You're really confusing me. We're good friends, right? Please be honest with me. What's bothering you?" She stood between him and the door.

He looked down at the floor. "You."

She was taken aback, "Me. I'm bothering you." She frowned. "Okay, what am I doing-"

He grabbed her hands, "I have to know if there's any way you might have feelings for me."

"Uh," she started.

"I'm making a mess of this, look, I like you, I'm attracted to you, and I'm trying to find out if there's a chance you might think of me as more than just a friend." He looked into her shocked eyes.

She swallowed hard, "You're saying you want to be with me, like us be together for real?"

He nodded, "I'm not good at expressing myself, but the truth is I love you Jane. First as my best friend, now for something more. I'm hoping you might feel something like that too. I know I'm a Turian and you're human, but there are other interspecies couples out there, it's possible."

"Holy shit, Garrus. You're serious?"

"I am." He suddenly felt foolish and started to pull away from her and let her hands drop. As he did she put her hands around his neck and pressed herself up against him, whispering in his ear, "I love you so much." He leaned down and wrapped his arms around her, holding her tightly. He stroked her hair as she held onto him.

"Jane," he said softly. "You were here in front of me all this time."

She smiled and reveled in the feel of his warmth, his scent. Finally she pulled back and looked up at him, "I can't believe you're telling me this tonight, I thought maybe, I'd hoped, but I never really thought you might think of me that way, that you would find me attractive."

"I know, I wasn't sure if you'd think of me that way either, we're very different."

"I think you're very handsome. Plus you know I'm a sucker for a guy with scars."

He chuckled, "I've uh, looked on the internet some, and I did some reading, but I'm pretty inexperienced, well, very inexperienced actually."

"Yea, me too. That's okay, it makes it more interesting, right?"

He nodded. She hugged him and reached up and held his face in her hands. She lightly kissed his cheek and around his mouth. He tentatively returned her kiss, slightly parting his lips and snaking his tongue in her mouth, tasting her. He pulled back and licked up the side of her neck, eliciting a small moan from her lips. She leaned back as he held onto her waist. She said quietly, "Stay here with me tonight."


End file.
